Dump-car-door-control mechanism.



G. C. CHERBONNIER.

DUMP CAR DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION. FILED JULY 23, I915.

Patented Oct. 3,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I G. C. CHERBONNIER. DUMP CAR DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23.1915.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J72 van for 660196 6. C'lwrbonn'z'er" UNITED stra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE c. CHERBONNIER, or sr. nonrs'mssounr, essrenon T aMEnIcAiI can. AND

v FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DUMP-CAR-DOOB-CONTROL MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thar I, GEORGE C. CHERBON- NLER, residing at St Louis, Missouri, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Dump-Car-Door-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable ,others skilled in the art to .whichit appertains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that'the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art.

In said drawings: Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation the end portion of a dump car equipped with the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates an end view of said car at the left anda central transverse section thereof at the right; Fig. 3 illustrates in enlarged elevation a detent mechanism adapted to control the door lifting shaft showing the device as adapted especially for the right hand side of the car; Fig. 1 illustrates a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 illustrates a detail of operation showing the detent in a different position from that of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 illustrates a slightly modified arrangement of details hereinafter fully described. v

The invention relates to improvements in dumping cars and comprises means for lift- C' E indicates the car end sill; F indicates a CIOSS bearer and G indicates a chain adapted to lift the door B.

The invention includes a ratchet cage 1 L of peculiar construction which, in the preferred form, is provided with a series of V inner perimetrical teeth 3, and a series of central teeth 4, both of which extend preferably laterally from one face of the ratchet cage,

while the opposite face of said cage is preferably. flat, as shown at 5 in Fi Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 23', 1915. Serial No. 41,530.

. ing and for gradually releasingthe dump I ing doors of such cars to permit Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

Connected to the car framing, and preferably the endv sill of the car when the device is to be employed in dumping cars, are two supporting plates 6 and 7 the object of WlllGh will be hereinafter explained.

Mounted on and rotatable with the shaft 8, the ratchet cage 1 is actuated by means of the operating handle 9 and pawl 10, as ndicated by the arrows v18 in Fig. 2 and 19 m Fig. 3, by means of which handle and pawl the shaft 8 is rotated to wind thereon suitable door lifting chains G or other liftng means, which may be .any suitable pulling means, though it is to be understood that the device is primarily intended to be employed in dumping cars, hopper cars, etc., F igs. 1 and 2 showing the dumping mechanism applied to a longitudinal hopper type of car.

It, may be desirable to lock the shaft 8 against rotation and for this purpose there is provided a regulating pawl 12 pivoted at 13 and provided with the handle 14, which may belocked in position by means of the cam 15 pivoted at 16, the cam being supported by said plates 6 and 7. When the handle 1 is locked by means of the cam, the offset shoulder 17and the pawl 12 are in the path .of travel of the teeth 4 when the shaft 8 and the ratchet cage tend to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 18 of Fig. 3, and the shaft 8 and its appurtenances will be held against such rotation as will permit the dumping doors to open. Thus the operating handle 9 and pawl 10 may be employed to wind up the chain G or other flexible connections on the shaft 8, and the. handle 14: and pawl 12, with its offset shoulder 17 may be employed to lock the shaft in position. However, it is common in dumping cars and in other structures to employ a winding shaft as 8 to lift andv support heavy weights, such as doors formlng more or less of the bottom portions of such cars, on which doors lading is carried so as to be dumped when the doors are 4 rapidity. To check the speed of rotation of shaft 8 and the speed of the door B, the perimetrical set of'teeth 3 and the central teeth 4 are employed and act as follows: Assuming the parts occupy the positions indicated in full lines in Fig. 3 and the cam 15 is shifted to the dotted position, the handle may move to its dotted position in said figure so the end of the pawl will clear the teeth 4 thereby permitting the ratchet cage to move in the direction of the arrow 18' of Fig. 3 or contra clockwise. However, While this is occurring, the teeth 3 will also advance thereby contacting with and lifting the pawl and lug from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 3 in full lines. When this occurs it is necessary to again actuate or lift the handle 14 to release the pawl and lug from the tooth 4 with which it may be in engagement to permit further rotative movement of the ratchet cage and shaft. While the shaft 8 is moving in a contra clockwise direction it is necessary to intermittently actuate the handle 14 to release the pawl and lug 12-17 from teeth 4, the teeth 3 bearing on the under face of the pawl aided by gravity acting on the handle 14, always causing the pawl to engage the next tooth 4 of the central series. The arrangement of teeth 3 and 4 in Fig. 3 is such that the teeth of series 3 are equal in number to the teeth of series 4. Thus the apices of the teeth of series 3 and 4 are closely juxtaposed leaving therebetween the channel 3 of such width as to provide only sufficient clearance for the pawl while it occupies a neutral position, that is, while disengaged from both sets of teeth 3 and 4.

The inclined faces 21, 21 of-the teeth 3 and 4, respectively, are preferably spaced apart sufficiently to permit the lug end of the regulating pawl to clear the teeth 4 when its handle 14 is moved to the dotted position, but such lug is of considerable length so that in the preferred arrangement the inclined faces 21 of teeth 3 will bear against the under face thereof in passing to lift said lug into engagement with each successive tooth of series 4.

The teeth 3 and 4 and pawl 12 with its offset lug 17 are useful not only in releasing, but also in lifting or pulling the doors or other load on the shaft. As the handle 9 and pawl 10 engage the series of teeth 4 and rotate the shaft and cage to lift the doors B, the inclined fa'ces 21 of teeth 4 will bear against the top of the pawl 12 forcing it into the channel 3 between the teeth 3 and 4. \Vhen the apex of each tooth 4 passes the end of the pawl 12, gravity acting upon the handle 14 will cause the pawl to rise and engage the tooth just passed, thereby preventing accidental unwinding. Should the force of gravity fail to act momma quickly enough, the inclined surface 22 of teeth 3 will bear against the lower face of the lug 17 returning it to the full line position in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the engaging faces of the teeth 4 and the pawl 12 are at right angles to the line of resistance, thereby providing a positive stop when the pawl engages the fiat engaging faces 21 of the teeth 4.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a modification in which the engaging faces of the teeth 4 and the pawl 12 are beveled with respect to this line of resistance, that is, the line is not at right angles to the line w w through the longitudinal axis of the regulating pawl 12 and its handle 14*.

The arrangement just described permits the rotative force of the shaft and ratchet cage to operate the regulating pawl 12 automatically with slight but constantly repeated interruption of their movement; otherwise, the arrangement of Fig. 6 is in accordance with the disclosure of the other figures.

The release of the load may be expedited by using fewer perimetrical teeth, in which case fewer central teeth will engage the pawl.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in car door-controlling means a clutch consisting of a single plate having two sets of ofi'set teeth, the apices of one set of teeth being opposed to those of the other set to form an intermittently contracted passageway, and a detent lever provided with an offset adapted to oscillate therein intermediate its contracted portions to alternately contact with the impingement faces of one set of teeth and inclined faces of the companion set of teeth.

2. In combination in car door controlling means a clutch consisting of a single plate having two sets of offset teeth, the apices of one set of teeth being opposed to those of the other set, and a detent lever provided with an offset adapted to contact with an impingement face of one tooth and to be moved out of contact therewith, and when released therefrom to be returned by an inclined face of a tooth of a companion set of teeth to contact with the impingement face of the next tooth of the first series.

3. In a car door controlling means in combination, a ratchet cage provided with a plurality of sets of ratchet teeth interior thereof, a regulating pawl held in fixed relation to said cage normally in alinement with one set of teeth and disengaged from another set of teeth, and adapted to be rocked into such normal position by'the last mentioned set of teeth.

4. In a dump-car-door controlling device in combination, a shaft, a ratchet cage rotatable therewith, said cage comprising a pluand an actuated detent adapted to bearon said perimetrical teeth and said central set of teeth.

6. In a dumping-car-door control the combination of a shaft, avratchet cage having a body portion mounted on said shaft and I being providedwith central and peri'metrical teeth, an actuating handle and a pawl thereon adapted to en age said central teeth, an actuated detentaaptedto bear on said perimetrical teeth and said central set of teeth and engage the latter set of teeth.

7 In combination, a shaft, a ratchet ca e mounted thereon, said cage having a plura ity of sets of teeth projecting from one side thereof, an actuating pawl engaging one set of teeth of said cage and an actuated detent pivoted. exteriorly of said cage projecting into said cage and adapted to lie in the path I of movement of said plural sets of teeth.

8; A clutch consisting of a single plate having two sets of offset teeth, one set having impingement faces and both sets of said teeth having inclined faces, and a detent lever provided with a lateral offset adapted to alternately contact with the impingement faces of one set of teeth and the inclined faces of the companion set of teeth when said clutch travels in one direction and to automatically clear said teeth when said clutch travels in an opposite direction.

9. A clutch consisting of a single plate having two sets of ofl'set teeth, one set of 'which'has-impingement faces, the apices of one set of teeth being opposed to those of the other set, and a detent lever provided with an offset adapted to extend between said two sets of teeth and to contact with an impingement face of one tooth, and when released therefrom,-to be returned by an inclined face of a tooth of a companion set of teeth to contact with the impingement face of the next tooth of the first series.

10. In combination, a ratchet cage provided with a plurality of sets of ratchet teeth projecting from one face of said cage, a rockable regulating pawl held in fixed relation to said cage normallyin alineinent with one set of teeth and adapted to be rocked into such normal position by another set of teeth. 11. In combination, a shaft, a ratchet cage rotatable therewith, said cage comprising a plurality of sets of ofi'set teeth internally arranged, means for rotating said shaft, and a detent lever pivoted exteriorly of said cage'and having a lateral extension project-- 

